JAMES Milner will complete his transition from being the kid on the sidelines to the man in the middle when he steps out for the Carling Cup final at Wembley next month.

James Milner will complete his transition to the man in the middle for Aston Villa []

And the timing could not be better, with Fabio Capello set to name his side to play Egypt four days later in what looks to be England’s final friendly before the 22-man squad for the World Cup is announced.

Villa midfielder Milner was man of the match in both semi-fi nal legs and weighed in with two of the goals scored in the 7-4 aggregate victory over Blackburn. But ever since he beat Wayne Rooney’s record to become the youngest scorer in the Premier League while still only 16, he has always been talked about in terms of potential.

However, now that Martin O’Neill has returned him from his place wide on the wing to a role in the centre of midfield he enjoyed throughout junior football, Leeds-born Milner is hoping his return to Wembley for a League Cup final will be a much happier affair.

“I watched the 1996 Villa League Cup win – the last time the club won a trophy,” he said. “But I was there as a Leeds fan. I went with my dad and sister. I was disappointed that day but if Villa can win it this time, I’ll be happy about it. I was only 10 at the time but I remember Savo Milosevic scored a good goal. It was a good occasion, though, and hopefully it will be a good occasion for Villa next month.”

However, it is not just time to grow up for Milner but for the whole Aston Villa team that O’Neill is assembling. Milner said: “The next step for this side is to win a trophy. The owner and the manager have done a great job and the club have changed massively since the last time I was here on loan four years ago. Hopefully, we are improving year by year, and we can show that in the league, but also to get a piece of silverware would be great."

"It would be the fi rst fi nal for me and for a few of the boys. We’ve got there and it is down to us to win it but there is a lot of football to be played before that as well.” Villa must wait for the second leg of the Manchester derby next week to see who will be walking out alongside them but, either way, it will be a day to relish – provided they can get the right result. Milner said: “We know we are going to come up against a quality team whoever it is and, although it is a great day out for the fans and the club, we are going there for just one thing, to win, not just to enjoy our day out."

“We can beat anyone on our day, so it is down to us to go down there and put on our best performance.” There is plenty to play for in the meantime, though, starting with an FA Cup fourth-round clash against Brighton tomorrow. “It is about getting that consistency and making sure we put in our best performances all of the time,” said Milner. “We have a big game in the FA Cup and there are plenty of league games and it is down to us to keep this form going."

“It is a nice distraction to have but we have to make sure it doesn’t take away from our league form. We need to keep putting in good performances.”